History Embodied: Public Monuments & Power—SOLD OUT

Wed. March 20, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

233 4th St NW, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Hosted by:
Charlottesville Tomorrow

Charlottesville City Councilor Wes Bellamy (Monumental) and former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu (In the Shadow of Statues) discuss their experiences working as elected representatives and examining the history behind and presented by public monuments in their cities. How does remembering history differ from revering it? How might more complete histories affect what a community commemorates? How can community members have a voice when public monuments cease to represent community interests?

Why should you attend?

“They came with torches, they came with swords and shields, they came with guns. They came with signs that called me the N-word, months earlier they tried to take my livelihood, break down my family, and send us all a message. It was clear THIS was deeper than a statue. My city was in the midst of a change that the world would see. This monumental shift would have ramifications felt across the world, and through my eyes, it was a fight that almost cost me everything, but it was all worth it.”—Wes Bellamy

“[Mitch Landrieu] has done something, in his speech and his book, that other politicians should emulate. He’s tried to reckon with America’s sins while offering an optimistic, big-hearted and deeply patriotic defense of cosmopolitanism as the source of American greatness.”—The New York Times

“[A] thought-provoking piece of political writing… Uncomfortable as it might be to think of our country’s history… we have to do so, if we want to live within the truth. Landrieu has shown the way.”—The Washington Post